The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus including a cover openably/closably attached to an apparatus main body.
An image forming apparatus such as a copying machine or a printer includes a cover openably/closably attached to an apparatus main body. The cover is configured to close an inside of the apparatus main body during normal use and to be opened if sheet jamming generated inside of the apparatus main body occurs, for example. Such a cover generally has a supporting shaft at one end side, and is so provided that the other end side opens or is closed around the supporting shaft. Also, the cover is typically provided with a locking mechanism which engages the cover with the apparatus main body at a closed position to restrict the cover from being turnable.
The locking mechanism is often provided to engage the opening/closing side end of the cover with the apparatus main body at both the left and right sides. For example, in a cover that an upper end side is openable/closable around the supporting shaft formed at a lower end side, when the locking mechanisms provided at the left and right sides are released simultaneously at opening the cover, a user can open the cover without feeling uncomfortable. However, if there is a dispersion in dimensions of parts of the cover or the apparatus main body, a clearance quantity is produced in engagement between the cover and the apparatus main body in the left and right locking mechanisms and this may cause a cover half-open state such that one locking mechanism is released and the other locking mechanism is not released.
In contrast with this, there is an image forming apparatus having a locking mechanism including an opening/closing lever, a shaft which turns integrally with the opening/closing lever and a locking member provided at each of the left and right ends of the shaft. In this image forming apparatus, the opening/closing lever is biased in a direction in which the locking members are engaged with the apparatus main body at a closed position so as to maintain a cover at the closed position. When the cover is opened, the shaft is turned by the opening/closing lever, whereby both of the locking members are disengaged from the apparatus main body simultaneously.
In the locking mechanisms of such type as to turn the locking members, since a user tends to turn the shaft more than a quantity in engagement between the cover and the apparatus main body, it becomes possible to release the left and right locking mechanisms simultaneously.
Also, there is an image forming apparatus in which a locking member is provided at a center of a shaft to thereby prevent half-closing of a cover.
However, in the abovementioned locking mechanisms, a space for inserting the user's fingers in order to turn the opening/closing lever is required, and it is impossible to cope with a tendency in recent years requiring more space saving of the image forming apparatus. On the other hand, as locking mechanisms capable of space saving, there also exist locking mechanisms of slide type which slide an opening/closing lever in a vertical direction to disengage a locking member and an apparatus main body from each other. However, as to these locking mechanisms of slide type, there are problems that a cover half-open state easily occurs by a clearance quantity in engagement of the cover with the apparatus main body between the left and right locking mechanisms and a user may feel uncomfortable at the time of opening the cover.